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MOVIE FEATURE

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Veteran actor, action-man and screenwriter Michael JaiWhite chats with STACK about his new martial arts-fuelled flick, As Good as Dead . Words Glenn Cochrane I f Michael Jai White’s story were ever turned into a movie it would be called 'I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead', because there's no end to his creative output. Not only is he an action movie star, he also writes, produces and directs, and is never without a project to work on. ”The film has been in my head for a little while” he explains. ”The NEVER BACK DOWN! The movie tells the story of a man living in a Mexican border town, who befriends a troubled teen at the moment his own past catches up to him. What ensues is a brutal tale of gang violence and a highly stylised battle of wits.

filming, and I decided to use his name in the film. His name was Bryant. He was going to be my language coach and assistant, because I intended on speaking half of this movie in Spanish. And unfortunately, he fell ill to COVID, but he led me in spirit and I honour him in the portrayal.” The tragedy of Bryant’s passing gives the movie a strong emotional foundation, however the film is far from a depressing affair. As the screenwriter, White leans heavily into humour and the script is laced with hilarious pop culture references. One scene featuring two characters arguing over action movies (and getting most of the details wrong) is particularly funny and provides a moment of levity. White’s face lights up at the mention of the scene in question and he elaborates with childlike glee. ”You know, no matter what, and no matter where you come from, one thing that unites us all is the movies. And everybody’s been a Van Damme fan!” he adds with a laugh. Take a little bit of The Karate Kid and splice it with Rambo and you get an idea of what to expect from As Good as Dead . It’s one heck of a fun time and given its heartfelt backstory, more sincere than the average action flick.

Surrounded by framed posters of his films, as well as a stunning white grand piano (another string to his ever-talented bow), White spoke with STACK about catching the filmmaking bug from a very young age. ”The first thing I’ve ever done was direct, to be honest with you. I was doing little films when I was ten, and I was editing them and everything else. And so I’ve always looked at things from a director’s standpoint.”

story was kind of inspired by my brother. My oldest brother moved to Mexico and fell in love with a woman. He fell in love with the culture, the climate, and everything. And he settled in a place called Playa del Carmen. So the story was in my head and I thought to set it there. ”And sadly my

brother passed away about a month before

YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE! The first two movies that Michael Jai White appeared in were The Toxic Avenger Part II and III (1989), and we couldn’t let him go without asking what the legendary Troma studio meant to him. ”I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!” he says with a massive smile. ”Man, I loved that experience. I love that style. It’s so zany that you can’t overact. It was so much fun and I miss doing that, really. I made friends on those movie sets that I still talk to, to this day. Troma is a club that I am proud to be part of.”

White has starred in notable films such as Universal Soldier (1992), Spawn (1997), and The Dark Knight (2008), and has written movies like Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016) and Black Dynamite (2009). His latest action-packed

feature is As Good as Dead , an unassuming escapade that has become deeply personal

• As Good As Dead is out on Feb 8

since the passing of his brother prior to shooting.

Michael JaiWhite

32 FEBRUARY 2023

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